Phoenix Mercury vs Minnesota Lynx: The battle for the Western Conference begins – WNBA Preview
The scorers will definitely have their work cut out when the league’s best Minnesota Lynx and the experienced Phoenix Mercury take on each other in the game-1 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday night. Lynx and Mercury are teams, with the best offensive combinations in the league and when the two come face to face tonight, there will surely be some fireworks on the court. Both teams have players that can change the game in the blink of an eye and on the night, whichever teams maintains its composure will reign supreme.
Minnesota Lynx have been the strongest team in WNBA this season. They finished the regular season with league’s best record of 27-7 and will now have the home advantage in the finals. The problem for them is that the only team that has beaten them more than one time this season is none other than their opponents in finals - Mercury. However still, Minnesota holds the upper hand in head to head games. Both teams met five times this season and Minnesota have won 3 of the 5.
Lynx have depth in their lineup. They have the rookie of the year Maya Moore, point guard Lindsay Whalen and above all they have the player with deadliest jump shots Seimone Augustus, who after missing the last season partly has made a massive comeback. She is in the form of her life, averaging 21.3 this season.
Then, Minnesota have Rebekkah Brunson, a consistent double-double threat and Taj McWilliams, who can also defend and rebound with intensity.
Phoenix Mercury is not far behind when it comes to depth on the roster. They are complete package with strong guards and forwards. They dealt with their semifinals rival Seattle Storms mercilessly in the final game of the playoff series when Candice Dupree stole the show scoring 20 points.
The good thing for Phoenix Mercury is they do not have only one player that they rely on to win game. If Candice Dupree fails to score, Diana Taurasi or Penny Taylor step up to take the pressure off her. Then there is DeWanna Bonner, who often puts up game winning performances.
With all these big stars in both teams, an exciting final is expected and one thing is sure that balance will keep on shifting until the end of the game, and the series. Minnesota Lynx hold the home court advantage but will that matter much in such a pressure cooker? Only time will tell.
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